For the first seven laps of the boys’ 3,200 at the Drake Relays on Thursday, it appeared that Ankeny senior Ethan Zuber and Cedar Falls junior Jaden Merrick could be headed for another scintillating finish on the blue oval.
Merrick and Zuber ran 1-2 almost the entire way–just like they did last year, when Zuber surged to the lead on the final lap before Merrick rallied to win in a time of 8:55.14. He broke the Relays record and posted the fourth-fastest time on the state’s all-time list, while Zuber also eclipsed the previous Relays mark and ran the sixth-fastest time ever (8:56.68).
On Thursday, the showdown between two of Iowa’s greatest distance runners never materialized.
Junior Quentin Nauman of Western Dubuque (Epworth) used an incredible kick over the last 400 meters to win the race in 8:52.45, setting a new Relays record and putting him at No. 3 on the all-time list. He bolted from fourth place into first by running the final lap in a sizzling 55.75 seconds–about 13 seconds faster than his previous lap.
Another junior, Canaan Dunham of Pella, ran the final 400 in 59.17 to place second. He was clocked in 8:56.11.
Zuber held on to earn a third-place finish, posting a time of 8:59.60. Merrick faded to fourth in 9:02.74.
Zuber placed in the top four for the third consecutive year. He took fourth as a sophomore before last year’s runner-up finish.
Thursday’s race was the start of a busy weekend for Zuber. The Missouri recruit will compete in the 800 on Friday afternoon, then will run in the 4×800 relay and the 1,600 on Saturday.
While Zuber will have two more chances to win an individual Relays crown, Thursday’s session marked the end of their Relays high school careers for a pair of girls’ distance standouts.
Seniors Drew Beason of Ankeny and Anika Mohrhauser of Ankeny Centennial crossed the finish line just a couple of seconds apart in the 3,000. Beason placed 12th in a time of 10:13.39, while Mohrhauser finished 13th in 10:15.83.
“I felt pretty good about it,” said Beason, who had placed in the top five in the previous two years. “I feel like I’m definitely figuring it out. It’s getting better as the season goes on. State is the most important (meet), so I’m fine with it.”
Mohrhauser was also satisfied with her race, considering that she was sick two weeks ago.
“That stopped my training a little bit, but I’m coming back,” Mohrhauser said.
Mohrhauser has committed to run for Drake. She’ll spend the next few years running on the blue oval.
“I love the energy here at the Relays,” she said. “It’s awesome.”
Beason will continue her running career at South Dakota. The Coyotes are competing at the Relays this weekend.
“They’re here, and I talked to a few of them,” Beason said. “I like the fact that college teams are here. You can see older, professional people running.”
Freshman Charlee Gall of Cedar Falls easily won the race in 9:44.19. She is the daughter of three-time Drake Relays champion Sarah Gray.
Three other athletes from Ankeny competed in field events on Thursday. Senior Max Dickinson of Centennial placed 10th in the shot put with a throw of 53 feet 4 inches on his final attempt.
Only the top nine throwers advanced to the finals. Dickinson missed qualifying by a quarter inch–Collin Whitters of Iowa City West threw 53-4.25 on his second try.
Landon Prince of Clear Creek-Amana went on to win the event with a toss of 61-10.75. Four of his six throws surpassed 60 feet, while nobody else threw farther than 58-11.
It wasn’t a good day for jumpers JJ Morgan of Centennial and Landon Pote of Ankeny.
Morgan, a junior, scratched on all three of his attempts in the long jump. He entered the weekend tied for fourth in the state with a leap of 23-1.
Valley’s Miciah LeLaCheur jumped 22-10 to win the event.
In the high jump, Pote failed to clear the bar at the opening height of 6-2. He nearly made it over on his first jump, but appeared to hit the bar with his lower leg.
“I didn’t kick soon enough. Usually my problem is that I don’t kick late enough,” said Pote. “But it wasn’t a bad day. I had some good jumps in there. I just didn’t have it.”
Tyson Seeser of Camanche jumped 7 feet to defend his title in the event, eliciting a huge cheer from the crowd on a sunny afternoon. He became just the fifth prep jumper to top that height at the Relays and only the 13th overall.
“That was pretty fun,” Pote said. “I love watching others too, but I get way more excited when I clear 6-2 or 6-4. I’d rather do that than watch someone else go over 7.”
